I know this one! It was mentioned specifically as Port Arthur, a contention of the russo-japanese war, at the turn of the 1900s. Specifically would call your attention to the part where they lost their main fleet, and called upon the Baltic Fleet (yes hoho THAT baltic) that made a trip around Africa in what became known as the Voyage of the Damned for all of the absolute chicanery and Lethal stupidity that took place on that nearly 9 month trip that culminated in catastrophic losses for the russians, and is one of the major pressures on Tzar Nicholas II to get involved in ww1.

Anyway that's one of the parts of the story as of how we're all in this fucking mess.